


Coral and Crowns

by Jackfruit



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Thomas Sanders
Genre: Fluff, Implied Analogical, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Mermaids, hey its them boys, im the master of tagging things, roman u need to make better life choices
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-09 13:15:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15268266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackfruit/pseuds/Jackfruit
Summary: Roman Prince has never been one to so easily give his heart away. However, upon meeting a mysterious boy named Patton Coral, Roman finds himself head over heels. Despite Patton's sweet personality, Roman soon comes to learn that his new love is not only laced with secrets- but with danger.





	1. Just a Normal Date With a Normal Dude

 

Roman Prince, despite being a hopeless romantic, did not fall in love easily. He’d faced enough heartbreak in his life to know when to teasingly flirt, and when to guard his heart away. He knew someday, he’d find the right person for him, but he doubted he’d meet them today. Hell, he doubted he’d meet them within this year. That was okay though, really, better to wait and find his perfect match then just go getting his heart broken by all the wrong people.

“YO! YOU GONNA JUMP OR NOT?” Roman ignored the voice behind him in favor of looking down into the water below. This was a popular cove for cliff-divers, with cliffs of all sizes lining the beach. Roman had been coming here his entire life, and had been jumping off cliffs into the ocean below for the same length of time. Taking a deep breath, Roman stepped back and prepared himself.

This particular cliff was rather dangerous, it was quite high up and the water below was surrounded by a small semicircle of rocks. It was dangerous, but Roman was a Prince.

He lived for danger.

Racing forward, Roman whooped and dove down, feeling the wind rush past his face, stinging his eyes and skin with salt carried up from the ocean. Roman closed his eyes as he made impact with the water.

Roman felt the warmth of ocean water engulf him as he slowly opened his eyes. He loved being underwater, loved the feeling of being hugged it gave him. His vision was slightly fuzzy, making him wish he’d brought his goggles. Sadly, goggles were terribly unfashionable, and as much as Roman wanted to see the bright colors of sea life, he wanted his dignity more.

Roman was about to swim up when he saw a blur out of the corner of his eye, a very  _ large  _ blur. Roman turned and saw...a boy?

He looked to be about Roman’s age, maybe a bit younger. He was poking out from behind a rock, so Roman couldn’t see his lower half, just his chest and arms and face. Not that Roman was complaining, as Mr. Stranger had a  _ very  _ pretty face. Dotted with freckles, with wavy brown hair floating around his head like a halo. He was wearing glasses, which was weird considering they were underwater, but Roman had seen people do so before and decided to not think much of it. He gave Roman a wide, sunshine grin before ducking behind the rock completely. 

Roman was about to follow, but the pain in his lungs was a sharp reminder that he needed to resurface. Besides, people were still cliff-diving, and Roman didn’t want to get crushed by an unsuspecting jumper. He gave the rock one last look before kicking to the surface.   
  


~~~~~

Roman’s hand rested on the door handle. He’d spent the entire day at the beach, and really needed to get home. He had to get ready for work tomorrow, as much as he hated it. Roman sighed and rested his forehead against the warm, red metal, closing his eyes. Just thinking about going to work, thinking about listening to customers whine loudly like mosquitoes while children screeched and ran wild in the background, gave him a headache. 

Still, though, he couldn't help it. All of his job hunting had turned out to be fruitless, so he would continue to work retail until someone took pity on the high school dropout and gave him an honest shot. He needed the money, needed to find out how to get his GED and then maybe scrape together enough money for community college.

Roman inhaled through his nose and opened his car door, ready to face tomorrow. He paused, however, and remembered the boy from earlier. He’d been in the back of Roman’s mind all day. Roman knew he should go, should get some sleep for the headache that was tomorrow. Just like he knew the boy probably wasn’t even there anymore. Still...he couldn’t shake the feeling that overtook him. It couldn’t hurt to just look. Roman groaned and closed his car again, returning to the beach.

~~~~

Roman did not find the strange boy. He’d looked everywhere, from the water around the cliff he had first seen the boy, to the corners of the beach, to even a few closed food stands. Nothing. Roman didn’t know what he was expecting. Sighing, Roman glanced up at the setting sun and prepared to head back to his car. Again.

He froze when he heard a beautiful, soft, melody. He looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. It blended perfectly with the waves that crashed up along the sand, a haunting sound. Roman walked slowly towards the ocean, noticing a rock jutting out from the water. He often saw children climbing up on it during the day, and usually lifeguards would have to keep a close eye on it to make sure none were shoving each other off.

At the moment, however, there was only one person sitting on the large rock. The boy Roman had seen earlier, if those wavy locks were anything to go by. Roman could only see the upper half of his body as he slowly approached, glad he hadn’t changed back into his clothes as he waded out into the water and approached the large rock.

The boy kept singing softly, the sound echoing in Roman’s mind. He couldn’t make out any specific lyrics, just the boy’s lovely voice.

“Hey there,” Roman finally decided to make his presence known. The boy shrieked in surprise and fell forward off the rock, into the ocean. Roman scrambled up and looked down with wide eyes at the place the boy landed. The water bubbled for a moment, before the boy resurfaced, brushing his hair from his face.

“Oh my goodness!” the boy said, looking at Roman with wide eyes. He placed his hand against the rock, and when he pulled it away it was a blur. Something hit Roman in the chest and he looked down to see a rather bright colored starfish. He looked at the boy with a bewildered expression.

A sheepish grin, “you  _ star- _ tled me!” Roman gaped slightly before a laugh escaped past his lips. He gently took the starfish and tossed it back into the ocean, laying across the large rock on his stomach and putting his chin over his crossed arms.

“So you’re beautiful, a talented singer, and make witty puns? I seem to have hit the jackpot,” Roman said smoothly. The boy’s cheeks turned bright pink, accentuating his freckled face as he giggled.

“Man, you’re a real charmer aren’t ya?"

“Of course. Now, would you happen to have a name, you handsome angel?” The boy tilted his head.

“I thought the term was handsome devil?”

“You seem far too sweet for that,” Roman winked. The boy tittered again.

“Patton. I’m Patton Coral.”

“Ah, a beautiful name for a beautiful boy I see? I’m Roman, Roman Prince.” Patton snorted loudly and quickly covered his mouth. Roman raised a brow at him.

“Yes, yes. My last name is very funny, I know.”

“No, no, it’s not that! I guess it’s a sort of inside joke?” Patton said. Roman nodded.

“Well, I’d love to make some inside jokes with you someday. How about you and I grab coffee sometime?” Patton’s face fell and he looked at the water, swimming away from the rock slightly.

“I, um. I can’t, I’m sorry,” he fiddled with his fingers, looking truly upset. Roman’s face fell as well.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I just met you, and asked you on a date. That was awfully rude of me.” Patton looked at Roman again, quickly shaking his head.

“No! It’s not that at all! I just. I’m not really able to go many places other than home and the beach...strict parents and such. Which is totally unfair, since I’m not a child anymore!” Roman smiled softly and sat up, letting his feet trail through the water. Patton swam closer.

“I understand,” Roman ran a hand through his hair, “my parents never let me go out of their sight. I mean, until they kicked me out.” Patton’s expression grew surprised.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“Nah, I’m over it now. They couldn’t handle the fact I like boys, so I say I’m better off without em anyway.” Roman shrugged. It was at least somewhat true, the sting of being kicked out dulled a lot over the past six years. Not entirely though. He couldn’t expect it to ever, truly.

“Still, that’s awful. I’m real sorry you had to deal with that. Parents should accept their children, not shun them,” Patton put his hand over Roman’s. It felt weirdly warm and dry considering it had been previously underwater. 

“Thanks, Pat.” Patton nodded before suddenly ducking into the ocean, hardly making a ripple. Roman was genuinely concerned he’d been pulled down due to how sudden it was and peered down, trying to see him.

He resurfaced suddenly, knocking foreheads with Roman. They both winced back, rubbing where they’d been hit.

“Sorry!” Patton finally said, holding out a shell. Roman frowned, slowly taking it.

“Thanks?”

“I heard if you put these up to your ear, you can hear the the ocean. I thought it’d be a good gift from me...considering everything,” Patton looked a bit nervous, “and if you want we can meet here same time tomorrow? The shell can be a reminder of sorts.” Roman couldn’t help the wide, hundred watt grin from growing on his face. 

“I love it,” he said, because he did. He really, truly loved it. Still, he felt as though he needed to give Patton something in return. He felt inside the pockets of his swim trunks, before remembering something else.

Clipped onto the belt loop (though he had no clue why these swim trunks needed a belt loop) was a pocket knife Roman had bought a few years ago. He never really needed it, but enjoyed having it on him anyway. He unclipped it and handed it to Patton. 

“Oh, no! Roman I can’t take this!” Patton shook his head, but his eyes sparkled with obvious interest. Roman winked and curled Patton’s fingers around the knife, pushing it towards him.

“I insist. You gave me a gift, so here is one for you. Just carry it with you, and if I ever need it back, I’ll just ask.” Patton seemed to consider the offer for a heartbeat before he nodded.

“Thank you so much, Roman! It’s beautiful.”

“I could say the same about the gift you gave me, or you, for that matter,” Roman smiled. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Patton grinned and gave Roman the cheesiest wink he’d ever seen.

“Of course, Mr. Prince.”

~~~

Roman never realized how lonely he was until he’d been seeing Patton for about a month. July melted into August, but despite the slight drop in temperature Roman had yet to see his friend(? Boyfriend? They certainly flirted, but Roman wasn’t sure where their relationship stood) out of the water. Whenever he tried to ask him about it, however, Patton seemed to dodge around the question, swimming back away from Roman, and despite his curiosity, Roman was far too scared of losing his only friend to any sharp realities that would come with confrontation. 

So instead, Roman would sit on the rock and watch as Patton swam and laughed, and the pair would talk for hours until Roman had to head home. They enjoyed each other’s company, and Roman trusted Patton more than he’d trusted anyone in years, despite all his secrets.

They’d gotten into a routine, with Roman coming out and sitting on the rock for about five minutes before Patton would appear seemingly out of nowhere and the two would begin wherever they last left off. Not today, though. The second Roman stepped out into the water, he saw Patton’s pop up next to their meeting rock. He was laughing, giddy, and excited.

“ROMAN!” Patton squealed, swimming in circles. Roman laughed, rushing and stumbling out to the rock. He almost didn’t make it, as Patton continued to swim circles around him. 

“What’s up Patt Patt?” Excited to see me?” Roman teased lightly, collapsing onto the rock. Patton swam over, resting his arms on the tops of Roman’s knees. Roman forgot how to breathe for a half a second.

“I am, I am! Guess what guess what guess what?!” Roman laughed again, smiling at Patton.

“Hm, well I haven’t a clue. You seem so excited, why don’t you just tell m-”

“I CAN GO ON A DATE WITH YOU!” Patton cut him off, flailing his arms wildly. Roman’s heart flat out stopped in his chest. He hoped Patton knew CPR, because he was gonna die otherwise.

“You can?!”

“YES!”

“OH, PATTON, MY WONDERFUL COMPANION,” Roman was excited now too, standing up and twirling dramatically. He crouched down and took Patton’s hands in his own, they were both pink in the face and laughing with pure delight and excitement.

“When will I be able to take you out then, my beautiful Starfish?”

“Is now okay?” that took Roman by surprise a bit, but he hadn’t done improv before he dropped out of highschool for nothing. He masked any shock with a sincere grin and eagerly jumped into the water with Patton.

“Of course! Off we go!” Roman didn’t let go of Patton’s hands as he swam to shore, afraid he would lose him if he did. However, Patton ended up pulling his hands back anyway, causing Roman to turn to him curiously.

“Just gimme one second! Can I meet you at your…” Patton paused, brow furrowing.

“My car?”

“Yes! That! Sorry, you know how sometimes you know a simple word but it still slips your mind?”

“Yes! God, I hate that. I’ll see you there though.” Roman said, jogging out of the water. He walked backwards most of the way, trying to watch Patton for as long as he could before he finally vanished over a hill. Roman inhaled deeply, turning around so he wouldn’t run into anything; he’d already narrowly missed a tree.

He finally found himself sitting in the driver’s seat in his car, fiddling with his keys. Each passing minute felt like hours, and Roman felt like Patton must’ve changed his mind after fifteen torturous minutes of waiting, Roman finally started feeling a niggling doubt. Like maybe Patton had changed his mind. Maybe he was just trying to get Roman to leave so he could escape. Maybe-

_ THUNK! _

“JEE MENETI!” Roman gave a high-pitched shriek, covering his face his arms. He looked up to see Patton, fumbling with the door handle of the passenger side. Roman let out a relieved sigh, unsure if it was because he saw that his car wasn’t being assaulted by mothman, or because Patton hadn’t ditched him after all. Probably both.

Roman leaned over and opened the door for him, grinning as Patton stumbled back. It was the first time he’d seen Patton below the waist (not that he’s really thought about it- honest!), and he had rather scrawny and pale legs compared to the rest of his body, as if he didn’t walk quite as much as he should. He was also wearing sparkly blue swim trunks that were covered in sequins that looked almost like fish scales. 

Patton beamed at Roman, but it didn’t quite match the nervous look in his eyes. Still, he slowly lifted one leg, swaying as he did so, and stepped up into the car. He collapsed into the seat, letting out a relieved little sound. Roman chuckled.

“Too used to swimming to handle a little walk?” he joked. Patton gave him a playful glare, watching as Roman buckled up. He attempted to do the same, but obviously struggled. Roman had an inkling suspicion that Patton had never been in a car before, but he wasn’t going to say anything. After all, he never thought he’d get the chance to even take Patton anywhere.

“Alright, where did you want to go for this date?” Roman asked, turning to look at Patton as he put his keys into ignition. Patton shrugged helplessly. 

“I figured you’d have something planned,” Roman snorted, backing out and away out of the parking lot. 

“Well, this is pretty sudden, but I do have one idea,” he said. He suddenly realized something, as he looked over at Patton.

“Uh. Did you have like, at least a shirt or anything? I have one in here, but that would mean I’d end up shirtless.” Patton gave Roman a sort of confused look.

“Do I need one?” Patton asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Roman shrugged helplessly.

“Not technically? I’ll just stop by my house real quick and grab an extra one. We could see if any of my pants fit you too,” Roman started driving the familiar path home. He didn’t really live far from the beach, and it would only be a 10 minute walk if he so chose, but Roman often just headed to the beach right after work, and didn’t feel like stopping at home first. He parked at the front of his apartment, looking over at Patton, who was struggling to unbuckle.

“Were you planning to come in?” Roman asked, surprised. He had planned to just run in and grab a shirt and extra pair of pants. Patton looked at him innocently.

“Is that okay?”

“Y- yeah of course,” Roman said, secretly dreading the idea. He was sure Patton wouldn’t mind, not really, but he couldn’t help but feel self conscious as they stepped off the elevator- which seemed to terrify and fascinate Patton in equal regards- and he unlocked his door.

“You live here?” Patton asked, looking around. Roman internally cringed, looking at the mess of clothes, papers, and takeout boxes littering the room.

“Yeah. Sorry about the mess, I would’ve cleaned if I knew you were coming over,” Patton gave him a funny look.

“I don’t mind the mess, though, I think my friend Logan would lose it. I’m just sad you have to live in such a small space.” Roman frowned. First at the mention of this ‘Logan’, the only friend Patton had really mentioned so far. Secondly, at that implication of Patton’s words. Sure, his apartment was pretty small, but it wasn’t miniscule. In fact, many apartments in the area were around this size. He had to wonder where Patton was living that being in an average-sized apartment made him pity Roman’s living space.

“It’s not too bad,” Roman said instead, not wanting to cause Patton to clam up like he usually did talking about personal information. “C’mon, my room is this way.”

The two headed into Roman’s room, and Roman pulled open a drawer, glancing at Patton. He was about a head shorter than Roman- a fact he was only now noticing now that they were standing next to each other on even ground- so he pulled out a pair of khaki shorts and tossed them to Patton, followed by a pale blue polo. Patton pulled them on. The shirt went down to his butt, and the khakis were slipping down his hips. Patton hasility tried to keep them up, and Roman couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, earning him a playful glare.

“Here, allow me to help you, my starfish,” Roman picked up a belt from the floor and slipped it through the belt loops, threading it all the way around. At one point, he felt his fingers brush the bare skin along Patton’s hips and he had to fight off his blush. Said blush wasn’t helped by how squirmy and giggly Patton was as he attempted to finish buckling the damn thing.

“Right, there you are,” Roman smiled, “now, could you step out for a second? I’m gonna take my swim trunks off so I can put on some more form-fitting attire. Patton nodded, bouncing out of the room. Roman changed as quick as he could, and ended up adding some sparkly eyeshadow at light speed. A lifetime of sleeping in late as he could and getting ready within five minutes really paying off.

He opened the door and looked out, seeing Patton sitting on his kitchen counter, staring thoughtfully at the floor. Roman walked over, leaning on the counter next to him. Patton looked up at him.

“Ready to go, then?” Roman inquired. Patton gave an excited nod, sliding off the counter and taking one last look around.

“We can come back later...if you like?” Patton smiled at him again, leaning closer. Roman felt his heart skip.

“We’ll see,” Patton murmured, pulling back and heading out the door. Roman fought down his disappointment as he followed.

Back down the elevator, out to the car, and they were finally ready to get on with this whole date thing. Roman subtly tried to wipe the sweat from his palms on his jeans as he put the key in ignition, setting course for his favorite restaurant. He thought some music would help soothe his nerves, so he flicked on the radio, making Patton jump in surprise. His gaze went from shocked to starry eyed, as he leaned forward and began to hum along to the tune. Roman swore he’d never get sick of that haunting voice that lured him to Patton weeks ago.

The drive was relatively silent aside from the quiet humming of Patton matching the radio, but it was a peaceful kind of silence. Not the bitter silence of his parents ignoring him whenever he messed up.

“Here we are,” Roman forced himself out of his own thoughts, parking the car. Patton pulled his attention from the radio, beaming at Roman with that wonderful smile of his. Roman’s heart melted a little. He unbuckled himself, and sneakily undid Patton’s seatbelt as well so he wouldn’t have to fumble with it again, before stepping out of his car and opening the passenger side door.

Patton gave him a smile, complete with light pink blush on the cheeks, and took the hand Roman offered him. Roman kept Patton’s hand in his own, which Patton seemed to appreciate if the way he trailed his thumb across his knuckles was any indication. Roman tried not to shudder at the featherlight touch as he grabbed the door and pulled Patton inside, causing his date to stumble a little.

“Woah…” Patton stared, taking in the large space in awe. The entire area was dimly lit, with all the the tables and booths lining the walls, leaving a large, empty space at the center of the building. Roman felt a tiny nervous coil in his belly, but it faded as Patton squeezed his hand and started making his way to one of the booths.

“This place sure is nifty, Ro!” Patton poked the seat before hesitantly sliding in. Roman slid in on the other side, beaming at Patton. A few other couples and families were scattered about, chatting softly. Patton continued to look around, kicking his legs excitedly. Roman chuckled and hesitated a moment before wrapping his leg around one of Patton’s. The man in question squeaked in surprise, turning red. Roman tried to pull back.

“Oh I’m so so-,” Patton wrapped both of his legs around Roman’s in a death grip, flushing even more. Roman grinned, feeling his own face heat up.

“S-so there’s a lot of empty space. Wh-” Patton started. He was cut off as a woman with a long, thick braid approached their table.

“Howdy, fellas. My name’s Katrina, and I’ll be takin’ ya boys’ orders tonight. I’ll be back in a few to getcha’ drinks, aright?” Roman and Patton nodded. She left, and Roman reached over to pick up a menu. Patton mimicked him.

“So...that empty space?” Patton asked again. 

“Oh, yeah, there’s a reason for that. You’ll see,” Roman winked. Patton’s face morphed into one of sheer curiosity.

The waitress- Katerina- came back, and the pair ordered their drinks (with Patton somehow struggling with what he wanted, even though he ended up just getting water). They made small talk for a bit, getting to know each other even better. Bit by bit, Roman felt his feelings towards Patton shifting towards the most positive he’d ever felt towards another human being. Drinks were delivered, and Patton set his menu down and placed his elbows on the table, staring at Roman, who laughed. 

“What’re you looking at, Pufferfish Pat?” he asked, sipping his drink. Patton smiled softly.

“You’re so pretty,” Patton said. Roman choked on his drink.

“Wha- You mean that?” Roman asked. Patton nodded.

“Oh yeah,” he started, eyes sparkling with mirth, “you’re a  _ turtle  _ knockout.” Roman blinked a couple times, processing what had just been said.

“Was- was that an ocean pun?”

“Oh, Roman, haven’t you heard? I’m  _ cray-sea  _ about ocean puns. In fact, I bet you’d be more  _ shell- _ shocked if I didn’t make all these puns. They don’t always happen on  _ porpoise,  _ but those accidental puns  _ shore  _ brighten my day at least!” Roman was clutching his stomach laughing. He didn’t even care that the puns were stupid, or that people were staring at them. It didn’t matter because Patton looked so proud of himself. It didn’t matter because Roman was having a good time. It didn’t matter because he lo-

“Are ya boys ready to order?” Katrina asked, pulling a pencil from behind her ear. Roman glanced at the menu one more time.

“I’ll take the spaghetti dish,” Roman said. He looked over at Patton, who was frantically shifting his gaze from the menu to the waitress. Roman decided to save him, carefully taking the menu from him.

“My date will just take a personal cheese pizza,” Katrina smiled.

“Gotcha, sugar. Enjoy ya date,” she gave the pair a wink and hurried off to the kitchen. Patton started to run his finger along the rim of his glass, humming the soft tune to himself he’d first sang the day Roman met him.

“Does that song have lyrics?” Roman asked. Patton’s gaze flicked up. The dim lights reflected in his gaze, making them look so, so blue. As if the ocean were a permanent staple of his gaze.

“Yeah. My friend Virgil wrote it,” so Patton did have multiple friends then. He kept running his finger across the rim of the glass and took a deep breath:

_ “Hush, sweet prince, rocked by the waves _

_ Feel your heartbeat echo for days. _

_ If you ever feel scared, alone _

_ Let this melody carry you home. _

_ Sweet prince of coral _

_ Sweet prince to soon be crowned _

_ Let my song be a guidance _

_ Whenever you’re down” _

Roman stared at Patton. His hair shining, soft. His eyes closed and concentrated. He was beautiful.

“That was beautiful,” Roman said. Patton opened an eye.

“Really? I’m like the worst singer I know,” Patton laughed humorlessly. Roman took Patton’s hand in his own, causing him to flick both eyes open.

“Well, I thought it was beautiful.” Patton blushed.

The moment was ruined as Katrina threw the pizza down in front of Patton, causing him to jolt back in surprise. She threw the spaghetti too, but somehow it didn’t spill everywhere like Roman had expected, which required perfect skill and aim. Needless to say, Roman was impressed.

“Enjoy, boys. Y’all might wanna hurry. It’ll be seven o'clock soon.” Patton looked up from where he was curiously sniffing his pizza.

“What happens at seven?”

“Did ya boyfriend not tell ya, pardner?” Patton opened his mouth, turning bright red, and looked at Roman helplessly.

“It’s a surprise,” Roman assured her. She smiled at that.

“Hell of a surprise, there.”

“He’ll love it.”

“Whatever ya say pumpkin. Enjoy your meal,” she walked off, and Roman turned back to see Patton had practically inhaled over half of his pizza when he hadn’t been looking.

“Hungry?” Roman laughed in mild shock. Patton looked up at him, tomato sauce smeared all over his face.

“Roman. Roman, listen. Listen, okay? This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.” He took another bite, swallowing what looked like half a slice at once. 

If it were anyone else, it would be disgusting. However, Patton seemed to make everything endearing. Roman could stare at him forever and probably still be satisfied. Well, that might not be true. He might want to do more than stare. At one point Patton had released his leg from its prison between his own, so Roman reversed the situation. Patton paused eating to look at him before continuing.

Roman decided it was time to eat his own food before Patton started scolding him about it (it seemed like something he’d do) and got halfway through his pasta before he heard the current background music halt and Katerina’s southern drawl came through a hidden speaker.

“Hey y’all. It’s seven o’clock. You know what that means,” Roman grinned, grabbing Patton’s hand. Patton looked at him, eyes wide. An upbeat, funky tune began to blast at a much louder volume then before.

“Remember, you asked what the big empty space was for?” he pointed to the center of the restaurant, where couples and families were starting to dance. Patton looked at Roman again, eyes wide with mild terror.

“I- I can’t dance Roman!” Roman took both his hands in his own and yanked him over to the dance floor.

“Of course you can, my sweet seashell! Everyone can. The only thing in question is how bad you are.”

“I’m awful,” Patton deadpanned. Roman scoffed.

“C’mon, I’ll lead!” Roman broke away from Patton to do a fun little jig. That made Patton less tense, if only a little.

He took Patton’s hands again, “And we’ll go slow…” he reassured. Patton bit his lip and looked at his shoes. A pair of old sneakers Roman had given him.

“Okay…”

The two did indeed go slow. It was horribly off tempo, and Patton stumbled and fumbled about every five seconds. Still, they were laughing and smiling. Occasionally lifting their gazes from their shoes to look into each other's eyes. Another song began, and Roman saw Katrina swing dancing with a pretty woman wearing a mint green hijab. Roman attempted to lead Patton in a similar dance, but he ended up almost toppling over and Roman managed to save him in a dip.

The second song faded into the third, and Roman knew it would be the last one of the evening. It was a slow song, and Roman smiled as he carefully adjusted Patton’s grip so they could waltz. Despite how clumsy Patton still was, despite the fact they were both not wearing anything particularly fancy, the moment felt right out of every romantic movie Roman had ever seen. He leaned forward.

“Patton,” he whispered. Patton blinked, dark lashes fluttering.

“Yes, Roman?”

“Can I-” the song ended, “-can I…”

“Roman?”

“It...it’s getting late. I should get you home before your parents worry.” Disappointment flashed in Patton’s eyes, but Roman elected to ignore that in favor of heading out into the cool evening air.

He heard the door open and close and felt Patton walk over to stand next to him. They said nothing, glancing at one another out of the corner of their gazes. Crickets chirped around them, and Roman turned to his car, climbing in. Patton managed to buckle up with minimal struggle this time.

The ride was silent, tense. Roman didn’t turn on the radio. Patton shifted to face the window. When Roman looked over, he saw something stormy forming on his face reflected in the glass. He swallowed nervously and turned his view back on the road. The second he pulled into the beach’s parking lot he heard Patton unbuckle his seat belt.

“Patton...I-” he turned just in time for Patton to grab him by the collar of his shirt.

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“What? I-”

“Roman.” Roman licked his lips, gaze flickering across Patton’s expression. His throat was dry.

“Yes,” it was a whisper, barely there. Patton leaned until there was hardly a silver between their lips. Until Roman could feel the phantom of his lips moving.

“Then kiss me,” he breathed. 

Roman lunged forward burying his hands in Patton’s hair and closing that tiny gap. It was a bit too wild for how close they were already, and their teeth clacked painfully, but Roman didn’t care. He didn’t care, because once the initial sting was gone, the mix of sweet-saltiness of Patton’s lips overwhelmed his senses. Roman pulled back, sucked in a large gasp of air, and went right back in.

It was as if someone had made sweet tea with ocean water. Which sounds extremely gross in concept, but it fit Patton so well that Roman couldn’t get enough. Patton took their next breath as an opportunity to stumble-climb over into Roman’s lap, sliding his hands down to Roman’s hips before he pulled Roman back into the waves of dizzy delight all over again.

Roman pulled back. Patton tried to follow, but Roman put his hands on his chest to pause him.

“Be my boyfriend?” he gasped out, breathing hard.

“ _ Shell  _ yes.”

“Fantastic pun, darling,” Roman fisted the front of Patton’s shirt and kissed him again.

Roman was starting to wonder how long this blessing from on high that was making out with his new boyfriend Patton Coral could last, when Patton suddenly yelped and pulled back.

“Oh, God, are you alright?” Roman asked. Patton stared straight through Roman, pulling his hands back.

“I can’t feel them anymore…” he whispered. Roman took Patton’s wrists, alarmed.

“Can’t feel what anymore?” Patton snapped back into focus.

“I- I have to go,” he tried to pull his hands away. Roman was tempted to hold on, to never let go, but considering the implications of that he released him anyway.

“Patton…”

“I’m sorry Roman. I really, really have to go. I- I promise. Next time we talk I’ll explain everything,” he cupped Roman’s cheek, expression tender. Roman swallowed and nodded.

“Okay... I trust you, Starfish,” Patton smiled sadly and pressed his forehead against Roman’s.

“See you later,” with that, Patton opened the door and stumbled out. Roman was tempted to help him, especially when he continued to wobble, but Patton looked back at him with a pleading expression as he mouthed the word,  _ “don’t”. _

So Roman simply watched his boyfriend disappear over the crest of the hill. He sat a little longer, itching to follow. Itching to make sure he got home. Itching to see where home was, exactly.

But he didn’t, because when it came to grand adventures, Roman was the bravest man alive. Yet, with people he cared about, he was a coward. He would do the wrong thing a thousand times over to avoid losing the trust of another person he cared about.

So instead of following, Roman put the key in ignition and backed out. He didn’t follow Patton down to the beach, where he finally collapsed in the sand. He didn’t watch as he dragged his now useless lower half to the salty sea- the place he called home.

He didn’t hear Patton’s relieved sigh cut off in a scream as invisible claws dragged him under without so much as a ripple left in his place.


	2. Roman Gets Kidnapped by Gay Mermen for a Quest

A week. A week since their date, and a week since Roman had seen Patton. He sighed, tired, and ran a hand through his hair as he slowly sat down on the rock, dipping his feet in the cool water. Roman didn’t know what he’d done wrong. Maybe he had been too intense with their makeout session last time. Then again, it had been Patton who had initiated it, technically.

Maybe when Patton had mouthed  _ “don’t” _ he had meant,  _ “don’t just sit there you useless buffoon.”  _ Or, maybe, just maybe, Patton was one of those people who told you one thing then expected you to do the opposite. Damnit, Roman thought only girls did that. 

Then again, Patton wasn’t like that. He knew Patton...didn’t he? He put his face in his hands. At the start of the week, he couldn’t believe that Patton would ditch him. He stayed up all night just waiting. Waiting for Patton to show up, to explain. He never did.

Then, Roman had been angry. Angry at Patton for just leaving him, angry at himself for getting so worked up over what was probably nothing, angry at whatever was stopping Patton from coming to see him. Because, that had to be it, right? He plead that was all it was. He prayed it wasn’t because Patton hated Roman now.

At this point, Roman was just sad. Sad that he’d lost the best thing that had happened to him in years. Sad that he might never see him again. Sad that Patton didn’t lo-

“I think that’s him,” a voice hissed, quiet. Roman’s head snapped up and he looked around. No one else should be around at this time of day, it just wasn’t a thing that happened.

“Indubitably, he’s the only one out at this hour.” Roman scanned the beach again. He must be going insane.

“Shit, I think he heard us,” the first voice groaned.

“That’s alright, we were going to talk to him anyway,” the second said.

“Can’t we just drown him?”

“No, we need him.”

“Ugh, this feels so wrong.”

“Well, it is technically illegal, so your feelings would be correct,” Roman swept his gaze across the water, only to see two men who had definitely not been there about ten seconds ago.

“Um...hello?” Roman said, cautious. One of the men swam closer. He appeared to be wearing eyeshadow under his eyes, which was strange both as a fashion choice and for the fact it had yet to wash off. He scowled at Roman from behind purple tinted bangs as he fidgeted with the strap of a bag slung across his shoulder.. The second man swam forward, adjusting glasses that looked uncannily similar to Patton’s.

“Salutations, my name is Logan Meer, and this is my most favorable companion, Virgil Pike. Are we to assume you are Prince Roman?” Roman blinked, the names sounding familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on why.

“Uh, Roman Prince, actually. It’s just my last name, not my title,” Virgil glared.

“Great, Patton couldn’t even pick actual fucking royalty,” he seethed. Logan gave him a funny look.

“Actually, considering what we are about to request of him, if he were truly royal this might cause even more drama then is already present.” Roman froze. Virgil had said Patton. That was where he’d heard the names from!

“You’re Patton’s friends!” He gasped, Virgil turned his attention back from Logan to Roman and huffed, folding his arms across his chest.

“Yeah, and you’re an asshole,” Virgil snapped. Roman threw his hands up.

“You don’t even  _ know  _ me!”

“Are you sure we can’t drown him,” Virgil asked Logan as he turned to him once more. Logan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Roman. I am sure Patton has filled you in on...our situation...correct?”

“Uh. No?” Roman said, “He hasn’t said anything about his personal life, really.” Virgil scoffed, as if it were somehow Roman’s fault that Patton decided he was some mysterious anime character with a deep and strange past.

Logan, who had until that point been fairly expressionless, gave Virgil a panicked look. A sort of  _ “shit I didn’t expect that answer what the fuck am I supposed to do with that” _ look that Roman swore he must’ve pulled at least twenty times across his lifetime; emphasis on ‘at least’

“Relax,” Virgil held up a hand to Logan, “I got it.” He swam forward, and Roman felt hands wrap around his ankles.

“What are yo-”

“Virgil, NO!” Roman barely heard the end of Logan’s shout before he was yanked underwater. He tumbled around under the waves, trying to regain a sense of up and down. Once he did, he began to swim up again when he saw something black and purple. It looked a lot like...a large fish tail.

Suddenly, the tail moved down, and attached to it was a grinning Virgil. Roman let out a shocked sound, which translated as bubbles underwater. It was then that Roman remembered that no matter how shocked he was about Virgil being a fucking  _ merman  _ his body still needed air. Honestly, so demanding.

Something wrapped under his arms, and he looked up to see Logan had grabbed him. He swam upward, pulling Roman with him. Roman gasped for air, scrabbling back up onto the rock.

“What in all of earth’s oceans were you  _ thinking _ ,” Logan snarled at Virgil. Roman wasn’t sure if he was hallucinating those sharp teeth or not. Virgil looked offended.

“I was just trying to show him! You think he’d believe it if we just told him?!”

“Better than  _ pulling him underwater and shattering his sense of reality!” _

“He fucking deserved it! Plus, I’m pissed and worried about Patton!"

“AND YOU THINK I’M NOT?!” Logan’s voice seemed to echo across the empty beach. He was breathing hard, and a tense silence filled the air. Roman had to cut it, though. He had to know.

“Why are you worried, what’s wrong with Patton?” Roman asked. Logan and Virgil shared a look before Logan hesitantly swam over, pulling himself up onto the rock. His tail was various shades of navy blue.

“Seven days ago,” Logan began, softly, “Prince Patton Coral of the North Atlantic Kingdom went missing.” Virgil pulled himself up next to Logan, pointedly not looking at Roman.

“Prince?”

“Yes. Patton is the only heir to our king, which made his disappearance all the more worrisome. The good news is, we have located him,” Roman sat up straighter at that, and Logan threw him a weary look. “The bad news, The Sea Dragon Witch has him.”

“The Sea Dragon...Witch?”

“Correct. She is a powerful creature. She told the kingdom she had him, but made no demands of ransom for his return. See, she is a creature of chaos- and with Patton’s father being old and unwell, leaving him heiress would cause riots and war among the people on who should next lead our people.”

“Then why reveal she had him at all?” Roman asked.

Logan stared at his tail, “It amuses her. She wants us to come after her so she can slaughter us.” Roman swallowed nervously.

“How did-”

“How did she manage to kidnap Patton?” Roman winced, “Simple. Patton went to her in order to gain legs so he could go on a date with you. We assume afterwards she grabbed him when he was unaware.” Logan’s expression was unreadable, but Virgil hunched down. Roman felt guilt coil in his belly.

“What do you want me to do?” he whispered. Virgil finally looked at him again.

“You. You’re gonna help us save Patton.” He turned and reached inside the bag he was wearing, pulling out two small bottles and passing them to Roman.

“Drink these. One is a potion to help you breathe and speak underwater, and one is to stop the pressure from crushing you like a tin can.” Roman blinked, narrowing his eyes at Virgil.

“Did you make these?” he asked.

“Uh, yeah?”

“Why should I trust anything you give me? You attempted to drown me!”

“I wasn’t trying to drown you,” Virgil scoffed, “I mean, I wanted to, but it wasn’t my intent. Still, you’re just gonna have to trust me on this. We’ll need a lot of that if we’re going to help Patton.”

Virgil turned to Logan and hesitantly put a hand on his arm. Roman noted a slight blush as he said, “Uh. You alright? You’ve been in the sun for a while.” Logan nodded.

“Yes. The sun began to set about halfway through our discussion, and should be gone entirely within a few moments,” Logan briefly put his hand over Virgil’s, “However, I think I should get back underwater now, as I am getting a bit lightheaded. My kind was never really meant for seeing the shore. I will meet you two down below.” Logan slid into the water without a further word.

“What did he mean by his kind?” Roman asked. Virgil shot him a look.

“He’s a deep sea merman. S’why he’s got sharp teeth. They don’t do well in sunlight since they typically live at the bottom of the ocean. You can ask him about it if you get the chance, he loves to gush,” Virgil shrugged.

“Okay,” Roman breathed deeply, “Okay…” he muttered again. Virgil sighed in response.

“I’m gonna meet up with Lo. We won’t wait long. Make up your mind, asshole.” With that, Virgil dove in after his friend. Roman looked at the bottles and ran a hand through his hair, laughing a bit.

“This is...insane. This is actually fucking insane!” Roman said, standing up and pacing across the rock best he could. His brain was swirling, tumbling. Merfolk were real. Patton was a prince. Patton was a prince for merfolk who existed. Also, dragons and magic were real too?

Roman gripped his hair and took a deep breath. How could he do this? In the grand scheme of things, he’d only known Patton for a little over a month. Was he really going to risk his life for a man he hardly knew when he had a job he had to get to tomorrow? When he had rent due soon? When he had-

When he...had nothing. Patton had been the closest friend he’d had in a while, and now he was missing. His beautiful starfish. The man who puffed out his cheeks like a pufferfish when Roman had a rough day. The man who could eat an entire pizza within a minute. The man who tasted like sweet tea and the sea. The man who he lo-

“Screw it, I never liked my job anyway,” Roman cut off his own train of thought, picking up the first bottle and opening it. Without letting himself think about it, he downed the whole thing.

It tasted alarmingly like sea water and nothing else. Roman drank the second one. It tasted the same. Roman was about 99% sure he’d been jipped, but he guessed there was only one way to really know for sure. He took one last breath of air before he leapt into the water.

The second his head was submerged, Roman let his breath go. Then, he inhaled deeply. Trust, right? Water flooded into his systems, but oddly enough he felt some weird rushing around the sides of his neck, and the water didn’t seem to reach his lungs. Air did though. Roman touched the sides of his neck, half expecting to feel some kind of gills, but the skin was still smooth.

“Coming, pretty boy?” Roman turned to see Virgil further out in the water, arms folded. His tail swished, reminding Roman of an annoyed cat.

“Yeah, yeah,” Roman kicked after him. The pair had to swim downward a bit to meet up with Logan, who was sheltering under a dark overcropping of rock.

“Okay, question,” Roman said, causing the two mermen to look at him, “If you guys can do magic stuff, then why did Patton need to go to a Sea Dragon Witch for legs?” The pair shared a look, before Virgil sighed.

“Not all merfolk have magic,” he gestured to his tail, “with the exception of the royal family, merfolk with magical capabilities typically have a plain black or white tail with colorful stripes,” Virgil pointed in turn to the four bright purple stripes lining his tail.

“One stripe is the lowest level of magic, six is the highest. We typically have two to four. Only a merperson with six stripes would be able to pull that shit with Patton getting legs, and we only have one in our kingdom. And, before you ask, Patton did ask him. He turned him down, not expecting for Patton to take a more drastic measure.”

Virgil clearly didn’t feel like explaining any more, so Logan took over, pulling what looked like a book from Virgil’s bag and swimming over to Roman.

“The reason we acquire your assistance is this,” he handed Roman the book. It felt totally dry, which was freaky since they were completely submerged in the water. Roman opened it to the page Logan had bookmarked. It didn’t appear to be in English.

“Is this some...ancient merfolk language?” Roman breathed. Logan sighed.

“No, it is German,” Logan took the book back, looking at the page again, “And it tells the story of one of our first Queens, Margo Coral. She was engaged to a beautiful mermaid named Amara, but the night before their wedding, Amara was kidnapped from her personal chambers by the Sea Dragon Witch. 

Despite all protests, Queen Margo went out after the beast. Regardless of her royal position, Margo was a talented swordswoman and blacksmith. She created her own sword, one so full of love and desperation that it had enough power to injure the Sea Dragon Witch so she and her fiance could escape,” Logan snapped the book closed in a flurry of bubbles.

“I still can’t believe we’re trusting a fucking fairytale,” Virgil hissed. Logan raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, unless you can think of any other weapons that could possibly slay the Sea Dragon Witch with nearly impenetrable scales, then this is all we have,” he turned to Roman again.

“The sword was lost eons ago, but there’s a riddle hidden in the palace about how to find it. I, erm, Patton and I found it when we were young and exploring the castle:

_ ‘To find the sword of power true _

_ Reach out for one of deepest ocean blue. _

_ To reach the sword you need _

_ Acquire one of magical esteem. _

_ To gain the sword of love _

_  Seek one from the world above. _

_ And in order to begin your journey, _

_ You must find the key _

_ From the very bottom of the sea.’” _

Roman frowned, and Virgil crossed his arms, leaning against the rock Logan had previously been sheltering behind.

“That’s still awfully vague. Which part of the bottom of the sea is it referring to?” Roman asked. Logan sighed and shook his head.

“I believe we narrowed it down to Mariana Trench, the deepest point in all of the oceans in the world. I do wish they said ‘bottom of the ocean’ and not ‘bottom of the sea’, however. It would have made things so much easier.”

“But then it wouldn’t rhyme,” Roman informed. Logan scowled, ignoring the comment.

“I inquired a few merfolk who lived there, and they informed me of a small cave guarded by a puzzle lock. I have yet to check it out, as we did not want to proceed before filling you in. We should swim there now, and you two will be required to wait as I swim down.” Roman made an offended noise.

“Virgil gave me a potion to resist pressure, why can’t we come?” Virgil actually laughed at that.

“Logan’s a deep sea merman, remember? Sunlight merfolk and twilight merfolk have pressure limits, but deep sea merfolk are built to live in the depths. The potion I gave you will keep you from being crushed at up to 3000 meters deep, but any further and you’re pretty much screwed.” Roman swallowed, not enjoying that imagery.

“Correct, now, we really should get moving. Even at top speed the journey will be roughly forty eight hours,” Roman felt ice in his veins at the thought of Patton having to spend even another minute in the clutches of a Sea Dragon Witch- much less two days, but he supposed it couldn't be helped.

 “Right,” Virgil nodded and before Roman could even blink, the pair were gone, leaving only two small streams of bubbles. Damn, maybe he had been hallucinating this entire time. That wouldn’t explain why he was breathing underwater, though.

Roman blinked, and the pair were back, both looking annoyed.

“Are you not coming?” Logan asked, irritated. Roman rubbed his eyes.

“I mean, I am, but I didn’t even see you guys go,” Logan snapped his fingers, a task Roman would have previously thought impossible underwater. Then again, merpeople were real and he was in lo- dating one; nothing was impossible anymore.

“Right, humans can not swim at the same speed as merfolk. Well, shit,” the last part was muttered, as if swearing were not a thing Logan was often granted. Virgil gave him a funny look, swimming over to Roman.

“Alright, Prince shithead, grab on,” Virgil shrugged his shoulders. Roman blinked.

“What?” he and Logan spoke at the same time. Virgil cringed.

“Just- hold onto my shoulders, alright? I’ve done this with Patton loads of times and so long as his…” Virgil aggressively gestured towards Roman’s legs, “...k’now, don’t get in the way, then I should only swim slightly slower than normal.”

“Okay,” Roman said, sighing. A strangled sound wrestled its way from Logan’s throat, and Roman and Virgil both looked at him curiously.

“Problem, Specs?” Roman asked. Logan’s face went pink, and his teeth were obviously grit as he replied.

“No that. That logically makes sense. However, I am also stronger than Virgil, perhaps I should carry Roman,” Virgil shot him an unimpressed look.

“You can carry him later, I don’t want him for the entire trip,” Virgil wrinkled his nose. 

“Fine. Let us depart for real this time,” Logan turned away from Roman and Virgil in a way reminiscent of a pouty child. Roman wondered what was getting under his scales as he hesitantly put his hands on Virgil’s shoulders and let his legs float up a little in the water so they wouldn’t get in the way of Virgil’s tail.

“Alright. Off we go to solve a puzzle,” Virgil said.

“To find the sword,” Logan added.

“To save Patton,” Roman said, gripping Virgil’s shoulders harder as the two mermen shot off, taking Roman with them.

~~~~~

After what Roman had to assume was roughly eight hours of straight swimming, Roman decided that Logan was tolerable. Unlike Virgil, who seemed to grunt or hiss at everything he said like a goddamn cat, Logan would actually engage Roman in conversation.

“Watson is  _ not  _ a useless tool!” Roman seethed, arms tightening around Logan’s shoulders.

“Yes he is. He is nothing but a hindrance to Sherlock, and his feelings ruin everything.” Honestly, Roman wasn’t sure how Logan got his hands on any Sherlock media- something about merfolk using magic to keep books dry even underwater- but either way Logan was an idiot if he thought Watson was useless. Then again, Roman had only ever seen the show, and Logan had only ever read a few Sherlock Holmes novels.

“Well what about the time he-” Roman cut off as Logan swam straight into Virgil, who had stopped. Virgil reached his hand out and closed it in a fist, and when he pulled the fist towards himself a sword seemed to materialize from thin ai- water.

“What the fu-”

“Halt, who goes there?” Roman was surprised to see two merfolk swim towards them, both holding spears and looking more than a little pissed. Despite knowing merfolk were real now, Roman had for some reason not expected to see any on this trip; and judging from the tiny little  _ “shit” _ Logan whispered, he hadn’t either. Roman felt Logan pry his hands from his shoulders. Virgil swam in front of Roman while Logan swam over to the newcomers.

“Greetings. I am Sir Logan Meer, Advisor to Prince Patton Coral of the North Atlantic Kingdom. This is my companion, Sir Virgil Pike, personal guard,” Virgil dipped his head, sticking his fist back out and causing the sword to vanish. 

“Who is the third?” one of the merfolk, a mermaid with a bright red tail asked. Her hair was done up and Roman quietly admired her makeup while simultaneously wondering how she got makeup underwater. Logan glanced at Roman before returning his gaze to the two.

“A citizen from our kingdom- Roman  Capistratus. He is traveling with us.” The second merperson narrowed his eyes. Roman noted an eel swimming circles around his head, occasionally burying its face in his short, dark hair. It was both scary and adorable in equal measures.

“I apologize, Sir Logan, but we are guards of the South Atlantic kingdom, and we were told to report any sightings of you. Surely you know you were ordered not to leave the palace?” Roman couldn’t see Logan’s face, but his tone of voice had an edge.

“King Emile did not need to spread the word far as the South Atlantic for me. I am merely his advisor.”

“He is simply worried after what happened with his son. Rumor has it that if the Prince is unable to be saved, he will name you heir,” the mermaid chimed in. Roman swore he could hear Logan grit his teeth.

“That will not be necessary, as we are on our way to save Patton now.” The guard Roman had dubbed ‘Eel Man’ in his head jerked to attention at that, eel swimming down to coil against his arm. 

“That is a suicide mission. Sir Logan, I must insist I return you return home at once-” Roman felt something brush against his arm. Virgil leaned back and whispered in Roman’s ear.

“Trust me?”

Roman gave Virgil a disbelieving look. He’d already drank his seawater potions, how much more did this man need.

“Sure,” Roman whispered back, deciding to go along one more time. The thing that had brushed against Roman’s arm had been Virgil’s hand apparently, as his fingers tightened around his wrist. Virgil suddenly shot up in the water, swimming over the heads of the guards. Their gazes flicked up and they started back.

“Is that a human?!” Eel man asked, gripping his spear tighter. Fashion icon mermaid threw her spear at them, just barely missing Roman’s leg. Logan saw the opportunity and swam after them.

“Logan, they’re after you. I need you to swim down as far as you can until they stop following,” Virgil said. Logan shot him a look.

“Virgil I am not going to leave you,” his voice was fierce, and if it were anyone but Virgil Roman was sure they’d cave. Virgil just scowled.

“You’ll draw their attention temporarily. It will be the best for everyone,” he reasoned. Logan clearly still despised the idea, but he shot downward. The merperson and his eel shot down after Logan, but the mermaid kept after them. Roman felt Virgil’s nails dig into his wrist.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Virgil shot sideways, dragging Roman with him. Honestly, being yanked around like a ragdoll by a magical merman was not what Roman was expecting at all when he started dating Patton.

“Okay, you can do this Virgil. C’mon, c’mon,” Virgil muttered to himself, screwing his eyes shut. Roman didn’t know what he was trying to do until he suddenly vanished from view.

“Virgil?” Roman asked, He could still feel the nails digging into his wrist, and heard the quiet hiss to shut up, so he knew Virgil was still there. Must be more of his magic.

The mermaid swam around, looking confused and muttering a few curses before she slowly swam back, occasionally looking over her shoulder as if hoping to spot them. 

The second she was fully from sight, Virgil appeared in Roman’s vision again. He looked even paler than normal, and his fingers were still an iron grip around Roman’s wrist. Roman realized with a start that Virgil was shaking.

“Hey, hey, she’s gone now. It’s alright,” Roman watched as Virgil opened his mouth, as if he wanted to speak, but couldn’t. 

“Virgil, may I touch you?” Roman asked softly. Virgil managed a sharp nod, and Roman laid a hand on his shoulder, rubbing his thumb across the skin in soothing circles.

They stayed like that, just hovering in the middle of the ocean, until Virgil seemed to relax a little.

“Sorry,” Virgil grumbled. Roman offered him a nervous smile.

“Don’t apologize. Um, would you mind if I asked how you did that thing. With the sword?” Roman was curious, but also wanted to distract Virgil from whatever had caused such a reaction. It seemed to work, at least a little.

“Oh, it’s really simple magic. Patton taught me how to do it, actually.”

“Patton can do magic?” Roman could hardly mask his surprise. Who would’ve thought his boyfriend was not only smart, funny, talented, and beautiful- but also magic. Virgil chuckled a little.

“Yeah, everyone in the royal family can do a small amount of magic. They’re the only merfolk I can think of with any sort of magical ability that don’t have the traditional looking tail,” Virgil shimmied his fins for effect, causing Roman to snort. 

“What does his tail look like? I never got to see it,” Roman asked, voice growing soft. Virgil looked at him with an expression Roman could only call calculating.

“It’s beautiful. Sky blue, with a large, frilly fin. He loves accessorizing it too. Usually with pearls or gold,” Virgil’s smile was fond. “If it were anyone but Patton, it would seem like a show of wealth and status, but nah. Patton just likes to look pretty.” Roman chuckled softly, his heart aching to see his lo- boyfriend again.

The two were silent again, stewing to themselves. Suddenly, Virgil perked his head up, and Roman looked to see Logan swimming towards them. He felt relief flood through him, and swam along with Virgil over to him. It was then Roman noticed there was a fish in Logan’s mouth- body pierced and bloody under his now stained fangs. Logan spit it out.

“There you two are. Sorry for the wait, after I lost the guard I decided to grab something for dinner. I think after all that we deserve a moment to simply relax.”

“Relax? We can’t relax! We need to save Patton,” Roman protested. Virgil and Logan shared a look.

“Roman…” Virgil began carefully, “you aren’t the one who’s been swimming almost non-stop for eight hours dragging something that weighs more than you.” Roman scowled and folded his arms, but didn’t put up any more of a fight. They were right, and it wasn’t as if he could continue on his own. Not just because he was much, much slower than the two, but also because the stupid riddle thing required both a deep sea merperson and and magic user. Neither of which Roman was.

“Okay, but I’m not eating that,” Roman gestured to the fish. Logan frowned.

“Have you chosen to be an herbivore?” Logan asked, grabbing Roman by the jaw suddenly and prying his teeth apart. “Because it appears you have the same teeth as twilight or sunlight merfolk, who are omnivores.”

“What? No, but that fish is raw and looks disgusting,” Roman scowled. Virgil snorted, picking up the fish.

“Seriously? How do you make it less ‘disgusting’ then?” Roman rolled his eyes.

“By cooking it, duh.” The two merfolk stared at him blankly, before Logan’s eyes lit up.

“Oh! Isn’t that when humans use “fire” to char their food to try and remove harmful bacteria?”

“Um. Yes?”

“Fascinating.” Logan said, “Sadly, we can not cook this, so unless you’d rather eat seaweed or algae, fish it is.” He took the fish and ripped into it with his fangs. Roman was seriously considering algae at that point as he handed it over to Virgil, who looked at Roman a second before turning away from him to eat. Apparently, merfolk could still feel self conscious. He handed the remaining chunk to Roman, who looked at it, then up at the mermen who stared expectantly. He sighed, screwing his eyes shut and biting down.

~~~~~

Virgil slowed to a stop next to Logan. Roman, who had maybe been half asleep, jolted awake when Virgil slapped him with his tail.

“Wha?”

“We’re here,” Virgil said. Roman felt something akin to relief at that. After two straight days of travel with only four or five pitstops (apparently merfolk potions slowed digestive functions, which baffled Roman and embarrassed Virgil to talk about), they had finally reached Mariana Trench. Roman had obviously never seen it before, but it looked like a looming crack in the ocean floor. Logan adjusted his glasses and looked over at the two.

“I will be heading down. I do not know how long it will take to reach the bottom, nor how long it will take to solve the puzzle, so you must have patience.” The two nodded and Logan swam over to the trench, taking a moment to ready himself.

“Lo,” Virgil said. Logan turned, and Roman swore he saw whatever it was die on his tongue. “Nevermind. Just...just be careful.” Logan’s eyes softened.

“Of course.” He turned back to the trench and dove down into the depths.

Five minutes.

Ten.

“Hey, Virge?”

“What?” he sounded bitter. Roman bit his lip, trying to decide how likely it would be for Virgil to punch his teeth out.

“So, I’ve been meaning to ask...are you and Logan dating?”

“WHAT? NO!” Virgil snapped, glaring at Roman as if he had asked if he had committed murder. Roman held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

“Alright! Sorry for asking!” 

“What gave you that idea anyway?” Virgil grumbled, hunching in on himself. Roman looked at him curiously. 

“Uh, he seems to flip out whenever I even look at you? Also, whenever you take over carrying me, he tries to convince you not to,” Virgil's face went pink.

“That could be anything. He doesn’t like me like that.” Roman swam closer, Virgil swam back.

“But you like him?” His words were met with silence. Roman sighed, settling down on a rock and patting next to him. Virgil looked at him warily before swimming down and settling next to him.

“Virge. I know it may be hard to see, but I really think he likes you as well. He probably just doesn’t know how to show it. You should try and be bold! Ask him out, y’know?” Roman didn’t know what he was expecting, but for Virgil’s face to darken was not it. He glared at Roman and swam back again.

“You don’t know anything about him! About us!” Virgil hissed, “He doesn't like me. He’ll never like me, and even if he did I wouldn’t want to be his stupid rebound crush.” Virgil’s voice began to grow louder, as if he were spilling what he had kept locked away for a long time.

“I’M NOT A REPLACEMENT! I DESERVE TO BE LOVED TOO! I just-” Virgil’s voice cracked, and his body began to shake. Roman swam closer, slowly opening his arms. Virgil swam forward and buried himself in them. Roman enclosed him in an embrace and ran a hand through his hair, feeling the water around Virgil’s face grow slightly warm with his tears.

“Of course you aren’t, Virge,” Roman murmured, “I’m sorry I pushed you.”

“I just wish he loved me,” Virgil whispered. Roman hummed, staring at the trench as he rocked the sobbing merman comfortingly.

~~~~~

Roman stared at trench, wondering how long it had been. It felt like days to him, but it could have only been a few hours. Roman sighed, looking down at where Virgil had fallen asleep in his lap. After his slight meltdown, Virgil had gotten even more hostile for a short period of time before giving up and just letting Roman in. 

Apparently, Logan had a crush on another merman who had recently gotten in a relationship- a fact Logan had confided in Virgil, so Virgil was afraid that even if Logan ended up returning his affections, it would be in an attempt to get over his original feelings. It was a sentiment Roman could certainly relate to on some level, as he had multiple boyfriends throughout his life. Roman sighed, running a soothing hand up and down Virgil’s back. 

He considered also taking a nap, despite the fact some dangerous sea creature could come and kill them at any moment when something shot up out of the trench. Roman squawked, falling back and causing Virgil to jolt awake, summoning his sword and positioning himself in front of Roman (which made Roman feel slightly offended. He could take care of himself, thank you very much). The thing turned, eyes wild, and Roman finally recognized him.

“Logan!” Roman laughed in relief. Logan spotted them and swam over, something clenched in his fist. He suddenly flung his arms around Virgil’s shoulders, pulling him close.

“You’re alright,” he mumbled. Virgil looked frozen, turning to Roman for assistance. Roman just shrugged. Logan, apparently coming to his senses, pulled back, holding out his fist and opening it. An old looking key sat in his palm.

“I found the key, as well as our next location. It’s not too terribly far from here.” Virgil still looked to be going into shock, but Roman couldn’t help but let out a giddy laugh.

“We’re so close!” he said, “We’re so close to finding the stupid sword, and then we can finally save Patton!” Virgil managed to shake himself, and turned to Roman, a small smile growing on his lips.

“Damn right we are!” he turned to Logan. “Lead the way then, Lo,” Logan nodded, sharply.

“We are going to save our friend.” Roman grinned.

“Or we’ll die trying!”


End file.
